The ink-jet printing industry uses different types of recording fluids such as oil-based inks, solvent-based (non-aqueous) inks, water-based inks, and solid inks (which are melted in preparation for dispensing). Solvent-based inks are fast drying, and as a result, are widely used for industrial printing. When solvent-based inks containing binders and other ingredients are jetted onto a substrate, the solvent(s) partially or fully evaporate from the ink, leaving the binder and other ingredients such as pigment particles on the printed substrate in the form of a dry film. During the drying process, the solvents, which are often volatile organic compounds (VOC), emit vapors, and therefore, can pollute the environment. The pollution problem becomes more critical for higher printing speeds or for wide format images, where large amounts of ink are deposited onto a substrate.
As a result of this and other concerns, efforts related to preparing inks that are environmentally friendly have moved some research in the direction of water based inks. However, the drying time and energy often required for water based inks can be longer than is desirable. The drying time of the water based inks can be an obstacle in increasing printing speed of ink-jet printers. Thus, there is a need for water based inks that can be dried with less time and/or with a lower energy requirement.